BANGKOK – Three exchange students from France who are studying at Mahidol University are preparing to embark on a transcontinental trip on a solar-powered tuk-tuk (three-wheeled motorcycle) to campaign for alternative energy.
Under the “Pilgreen Project”, the three students will be making their journey from Thailand to Toulouse, France, in a tuk-tuk powered partly by electricity and partly by solar energy. The aim of the trio is to campaign for awareness on environment issues and the benefit of choosing alternative energy over fossil fuel. One of the students indicated that aside from its association with the Thai identity, the lack of air-conditioning on the tuk-tuk associates with conservation of the environment.
The electric tuk-tuk, which has a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour, commenced its journey on August 9. The students are expected to travel for 120 days through 16 countries – some of which include Laos, China, Russia, Turkey, Austria and Germany, before reaching their destination. They are also expected to participate in a United Nations conference on climate change in New York, scheduled for December.
